Violence becomes a part of our lives insensibly and many people do not even know that it is present in their lives until it captures them fully. Therefore, it is necessary to catch and eliminate even the slightest signs of violence in order to avoid being late.
Warning Signs of Intimate Partner Abuse and Violence
Isolation from Friends and Family
The majority of tyrants do not acknowledge that they use you, even if deeply inside they understand that your loved ones would never approve such an attitude to you. He is really afraid that someone of them will turn your attention to his actions, so he tries to alienate your friends and family from you in any possible way. It is the way how he cuts off your path to freedom and takes away the safest option. Even if you were not subjected to physical violence so far, you must realize that a loud alarm, which warns that anything can happen soon, sounds (Strong, 2015).
The sense of Guilt
A woman is constantly accused of the excessive sensitivity and whining because she sharply reacts on an “innocent joke”. Thus, the offender shifts the blame on her shoulders, minimizing his violent tricks. Unfortunately, women are more inclined to blame themselves rather than the tyrant, considering their reaction to a man’s joke as incorrect (Strong, 2015).
Moral Pressure
In this case, the purpose of the abuser is to lower the self-esteem of the victim, to diminish his or her dignity and make him or her lose the self-respect. Usually, this is achieved by the neglect, abuse, rudeness, threats, intimidation, various accusations and active intervention into the private life. The abuser often controls the victim’s communication, reads personal correspondence and e-mails, prohibits going to the public places (Strong, 2015).
Why Women Stay in Abusive Relationships?
Fear
The first argument is fear. Many women are simply afraid of the responsive measures which can be triggered by their attempt of protection. The eternal principle “how not to do worse” once again prevents us from making the life a little better. I will not claim that this fear is not justified. It is well known that an “ordinary” man is much stronger than an “ordinary” woman. But it is not necessary to act directly, opposing the strengths. So what is the cause of women's patience? An internal unpreparedness to go to the end in defending your rights and interests explains a lot. It is impossible to get involved in a fight without the determination to do everything possible (Benokraitis, 2011).
“Children need a father”
It seems that adults think that kids do not see and do not understand what is going on. They always react on family problems, even on those about which you do not speak out loud. Their physical and mental health destroys. They become disobedient, aggressive, hyperactive, vandalize a lot and in the future they transfer this disgraceful behavior on their own families. Children and adolescents, who have witnessed domestic violence, adopt the gender-behavior model and reproduce it in the next generation (Benokraitis, 2011).
“I have nowhere to go”
It's not just about the apartment and permanent income, but also about the life as a whole: what to do after leaving, to whom devote yourself and with whom to live. Such a psychology greatly illustrates the women's lack of confidence and fear to find the freedom and to start everything from scratch. By itself, the domestic violence pushes victims into the trap - periodic humiliations inevitably evoke a sense of helplessness, insecurity and dependence (Benokraitis, 2011).
Why Family Members Mistreat the Elderly?
Copying the Model of Behavior
One of the causes of violence against the elderly is a product of socialization, reproduction of that pattern of behavior, of that life experience which the child has received in the family, and in this context violence against the elderly and violence against children are interrelated. In this case we speak about internal family cyclical violence. Basically, all the children, who were brought up “in rigid conditions”, apply violence against their elderly parents in the future (Health in Aging, 2011).
Elderly People “Owe” Us
Here I would like to talk about the economic aspect of the issue. Some people think that the elderly parents (and parents in general) are obliged to children, not vice versa. Therefore, the reason for the violence is avarice: taking away money, habitation, property of the elderly relatives. Why to do something yourself, if you can just take it from someone else? (Health in Aging, 2011).
Personality Traits and Relationships
These are the biological factors and aspects of the personal biography which influence human’s behavior. In addition, it takes into account such factors as impulsivity, low educational attainment, substance abuse, as well as a person's aggressive behavior and violence noted in the past.
The impact of social ties and relationships with family members increase the risk of becoming a potential victim of violence or to commit an act of violence. For example, permanent contacts or accommodation in the same apartment can increase the possibility of violent acts against the elderly relatives because people in this case are constantly connected with each other (Health in Aging, 2011).
References
Benokraitis, N.V. (2011). Marriages & Families Changes, Choices and Constraints. 7th Ed. D. Musslewhite Ed. Boston: Pearson. Print.
Health in Aging. (2011). Preventing Elder Abuse and Neglect in Older Adults. Retrieved from http://www.healthinaging.org/files/documents/tipsheets/elder_abuse.pdf
Strong, Eden. (2015). If Your Partner Does These 6 Things, You’re In An Abusive Relationship. Retrieved from https://www.yahoo.com/style/if-your-partner-does-these-6-things-youre-in-an-112055278468.html
